Myself (left), Paul Hayward (center) and Alex Yallop (right)

It’s Friday night here in Beijing and rather than being out and about, I have just returned from another busy day since my return from the US last week. It always seems that being away from home for any period of time leads to a serious build up of work that needs to be caught up on upon return. As I was going through my archive tonight, I stumbled upon another photo taken from my time as an intern at Magnum Photos London office during 2004-2005. Readers of this blog in its earlier stages will know I have already posted one photo from my internship, here.

The above photo was more than likely taken on a Friday night, probably around 5 years ago now in what was the old Magnum London Office situated on Old Street in central London. Pictured above are myself (left), Paul Hayward (centre) and Alex Yallop (right) my fellow interns at the time, indulging in a beer in the office after what I am sure was a typically busy week.

Moments like this were a great part in the whole experience of being an intern at Magnum. Chances to stop and digest what we were experiencing, were fairly few and far between but the bonding experiences we felt as interns was something pretty special.

It’s also great to know that we are all still in touch and finding our own paths in photography. If you ever get the opportunity to intern at Magnum, or any other quality photo-agency for that matter, one of my biggest pieces of advise would be to grab every opportunity you are presented with. Paul Hayward (pictured center) for example, is now the head of the digital department at Magnum London after starting as an intern in the same department. Alex Yallop (pictured right) is now a professional freelancer, spending his time flitting between Europe and Asia. I, myself, have been freelancing in China since leaving Magnum and was lucky enough to be awarded Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey’s Emerging Photographer Award last year. Many other interns have gone on to be assistants of the photographers and previous intern Jonas Bendiksen is now even a member of the agency whose photographers he once made coffees for and whose phone calls he answered!

My point is, if you get an opportunity, a chance, a break etc….seize it. You never know where it may take you.